Are you ready?
Christmas break also means getting serious with potty training. B will be potty trained before school starts again in January. He seems more ready this time. Hoping it goes well...
Shrinking Violets is having a 12 Days of Christmas - Introvert Style. Humorous, and quite applicable. They are also having daily give-aways to go along with it. Lots of fun!
This paragraph has remained fairly unchanged since its conception in draft one. I've been through five more drafts and still can't find a better way to word this. I like the sentiment and attitude, but have to admit that the flow is far from ideal.
As Jex left the assembly hall, he realized he had no idea where in Dashevona was this Monderay. However, on no account would he turn around and ask Zalandar. He may be a thief, but that didn't mean he had no pride.
It probably doesn't need pointing out, but Monderay is a village in the realm of Dashevona. Any suggestions on rewriting the above paragraph?
EotF Status
total words to date: 96,431
pages: 435
chapters revised: 13/27 (draft 6)
T.C. Status
word count: 2,947
MiB Status
word count: 791
Goals for December
EotF keeps getting longer! I have one other chapter that will be inflating, but the rest should be fairly easy editing. A little behind the one-chapter-a-day revisions, but still on track to finish by the end of the month.
I worked on MiB some more. Filled out a page of notes and wrote a short scene. Over the weekend, my muse informed me of the main story conflict and antagonist. The early stages of discovering a story are very exciting.
For reference, here is the definition of introvert, and examples of famous ones.
In these group happy holidays, remember the Introverts Bill of Rights, particularly #2: Introverts have the right to leave social events "early" as needed. I enjoy visiting with family, but the more people there are, the faster my energy drains.
As of last year, we are no longer going to Christmas Eve festivities. We are starting our small, quiet, family traditions here at home. At least being married to a fellow introvert, we are often on the same wavelength.
On an unrelated, writing note, it is much easier removing a secondary character than it is to add one in a later draft. Though I may have believed differently the last time I removed a character... Writing/revising is hard! Don't let anyone tell you different.
EotF Status
total words to date: 94,435
pages: 423
chapters revised: 11/27 (draft 6)
T.C. Status
word count: 2,947
MiB Status
word count: 550
Goals for December
It's snowing. Very cold, 24 degrees, today. Wishing I was in Phoenix (54 degrees).
Recent Distraction: Cake Wrecks
Crazy Contest I entered MiB opening into: First Paragraph Challenge
Last Book I Read: The Black Tattoo. Was a birthday present from my husband. Enjoyed it a lot.
Recent Embarrassment: Wrote the wrong name on an envelope for a Christmas Card. At least the envelope is white, so white-out saves the day... Why did I write the name I did? That is a mystery. I don't even know anyone of the name I wrote. *sigh*
Currently behind on: Crits for poetry group.
Yesterday's accomplishments: Exercised. Rearranged scenes in two chapters of EotF to move an events timetable by two moons, and adjusting all scenes that got affected. Got B's presents wrapped and under the tree.
**Update! Even newer embarrassment: Somehow managed to save this post over my December Tally, rather than simply copying the template. *bangs head on wall*
5,000 Questions... My answers so far...
511. Do you believe your government has a file on you somewhere? Of course. How else do I get a Social Security Card? And a State ID card? All those forms go somewhere.
512. What (not who) do you care about? the written word, high speed internet, my teddy bear, keeping warm, "My Own Worst Enemy"
513. What is the worst thing that could possibly happen to you? tortured by a serial killer. if I'm going to die, I want it to be quick.
514. Who or what is really the absolute root and source of all evil? greed and selfishness
515. What do you want to change about the world? people to want to change. and no allergies, as that's something that doesn't mess with free will.
516. Why did you decide to complete this survey? I needed motivation to blog more regularly, and I promised someone I'd blog more about non-writing topics.
517. Has anyone ever led you on? yes
518. What was the last thing you did against your will? went shopping when I felt sick
519. What are your plans for the rest of today? edit a chapter of EotF, use Wii Fit, come up with some form of nutrition for lunch, and do more stuff this afternoon, dinner, and watch Survivor
520. How can you make tomorrow better than today was? still too early in the day to find something to improve on
521. Would you rather date someone 4 feet tall or 9 feet tall? 4 feet. That's only 1'8" difference, rather than over 3'
522. How often do you get jealous? on occasion. not so much of relationships, but of experiences (such as travel)
523. What is the one thing you do that your friends wish you didn't? have unrealistic expectations
524. Do you do any soul searching? yes
525. Do you believe you have a soul? absolutely
526. Would you rather have a child that is more confident or more curious? confident. curiosity leads to accidents and hospital bills. of course, confident children are more likely to voice their curiosity.
527. Are you a slave to love? no. love is a choice
Mostly-recovered post after blogging snafu:
It's December! Time to decorate for Christmas. Only, I haven't decided where or if to put up the tree this year. Once we get a house, I'm leaving the darn thing put together. I can decorate it with the seasons (hearts for Valentine's, and such) or cover it and leave it in the garage. But I'm tired of pulling it out of the box, building, and reshaping each year. Anyway, tree or not, time for some Christmas music. We're almost done with our Christmas shopping - one card to send, and one present left to order. We're keeping it simple this year.
Breakdown of poetry writing last month. One new poem (anywhere from 3 to 42 lines) every day Nov 1 through Nov 21. Then only one more poem the rest of the month, on the 24. That's 22 poems in one month, which is by far a record for me.
PAD final verdict:
gems: 8
have potential: 8
duds: 6
With all the injuries and casualties I've been reading about dealing with Black Friday, I fully agree that It is Time to Outlaw Black Friday. Is trading a guy's life for saving $200 on a TV suddenly a small price to pay? What is it about having something NOW, rather than waiting for a still good but not cutthroat deal, or ordering online? And why wait hours in the cold in the wee hours of the morning for the mayhem? There are so many things wrong with this "tradition". And stores still cater to it, moving their sales earlier and earlier. Open at midnight? Or Thanksgiving itself? Just crazy. I really feel sorry for anyone having to work during these shifts, or be the ones to clean up after. *soapbox speech over*
